As the cars lined up on the Spa-Francorchamps grid, BBC commentator Martin Brundle noticed that the Brazilian's Ferrari was about "two metres" ahead of its starting box.

And a spectator's amateur footage, posted on video sharing website Youtube, backs Brundle's observation, even though the race director, stewards and rival teams and drivers apparently did not notice or report Massa's head-start.

The Telegraph said the FIA has launched an investigation into how Massa escaped without a drive-through penalty.

The report said the transponder on the floor of Massa's F10 did not send a signal to the tarmac sensor because he was too far out of position, while the marshals did not alert the race director manually.

"As no further information or complaints were received before the publication of the official result on Sunday night, the classification of the Belgian grand prix will now remain unchanged," said an FIA spokeswoman.

"The FIA are investigating the causes of the apparent failures in communication with race control in order to ensure a repetition is not possible," she added.